Friday could be a red-letter day in the country’s battle against Covid-19, as e-vaccination certificates come on line and football fans hungry to watch live games get the lowdown on the upcoming Bafana Bafana qualifier against Ethiopia.
Celebrities are set to take part in a joint press conference involving the health department, which is launching the e-vaccination site for certificates, and the South African Football Association (Safa), which will reveal details of its pilot project for which 2,000 spectators, verifiably vaccinated, will be allowed to attend Tuesday’s match .
Dominic Chimhavi, spokesperson for Safa, told Sunday Times Daily this week that the association wanted football to be part of the solution by playing a major role in “galvanising mass vaccines”.
He said spectators’ return to games also brings informal traders and taxi drivers, and thus stimulates the flagging informal economy.
“Everything has been finalised and we will reveal the details on Friday on exactly how the logistics of this will work, but one thing is for sure, the 2,000 fans who are allowed entry into the game will have to prove that they have been vaccinated,” he said.
“Whether you’re a player, a fan, a celebrity at our press conference, a taxi driver shuttling people or a gogo selling pap by the stadium, do not show your face around here if you have not been vaccinated,” he added.
Earlier this week, Safa president Danny Jordaan met national health minister Joe Phaahla to discuss the prospect of fans returning to the stadiums for the beautiful game.